October 19, 2023

Your weekly newsletter from St. Mark's School

Academic Information

Saturday Classes Resume This Weekend, October 21

The fall semester of St. Mark's Saturdays continues this Saturday, October 21. You can read more about these courses and the alignment of experiential learning with the School mission in the course guide. 

• Mark your calendars for the remaining Fall SM Saturdays: October 28, November 11, and December 2 and 9. 
• School Meeting starts on these days at 8:40 a.m., and classes run from 9:00—11:30 a.m.
• Students must coordinate permission to miss class with the Dean of Students’ Office in advance.

Dean of Students' Office Announcements

RAVE Emergency Alert Notification Test This Friday   

We will be testing our RAVE Emergency Alert Notification System this Friday, October 20, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. The test message will be sent to all emergency email addresses and cell phone numbers based in the United States that we have in our system. If you do not receive the RAVE test notification on Friday, contact the Dean of Students' Office at deanofstudents@stmarksschool.org as soon as possible to provide your emergency contact information. If you have any changes to your emergency contact information during the year, please be sure to notify Ms. Morey (jeanmariemorey@stmarksschool.org). Thank you!

This Weekend is a Community Weekend

As a reminder, the weekend of October 20, 2023 is a Community Weekend. All boarding students are expected to remain on campus overnight. As is always the case, day students are encouraged to participate in activities on Community Weekends.

Seated Meal and Evening Chapel This Tuesday

A reminder that seated meal and evening Chapel will take place this Tuesday, October 24, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Chapel dress is required.

Book Your November Break Transportation 

St. Mark’s is arranging bus transportation to New York City and shuttles to airports for the November break. Please see the transportation dates and times below. The deadline to sign up is Friday, November 10, at 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact Jeanmarie Morey (jeanmariemorey@stmarksschool.org).

Friday, November 17, 2023

• 4:00 p.m. departure to Logan Airport

Saturday, November 18, 2023

• 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. departures to Logan Airport
• 10:00 a.m. departure to Connecticut/New York 

Monday, November 27, 2023

• noon, 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. arrivals from Logan Airport
• 10:00 a.m. bus returns from New York/Connecticut

Charged to Lion Card: $100 each way to CT/NY; $35 each way to Logan Airport. Please provide 24-hour cancellation notice, or you will be charged.

November Break Dates and Planning

Students are free to leave after their last School commitment on Friday, November 17, and must depart by 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 18, at which time residential houses close. Boarding students must return to campus between noon and 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 27. Classes resume on Tuesday, November 28. All students, including Burnett, will submit a “November Break” Orah pass (orange) to confirm their departure plans as campus closes for the break.

As your family prepares for the break, please keep in mind that St. Mark's does not excuse any early departures or late returns around our major school vacations (November, Winter, or Spring Break). While we understand that travel convenience is a plus during these busy times, and that family engagements are important, we must do all we can to preserve our class and community time. We thank you in advance for referencing the Essential Dates calendar as you plan family travel for the School year.

Weekend Activities

Want to know what's happening this weekend? For on-campus events and trips to off-campus locations, check out the Weekend Activities Google Doc.

College Counseling Preparation

Advanced Placement (AP) Test Registration

We will offer AP exams at St. Mark's May 6—17, 2024. Recently, we sent V and VI Form students this email about the AP exam registration process. Please read this letter from Director of College Counseling Eric Monheim about the exams. The internal registration deadline is November 14, 2023. Reach out to testing coordinator Joelle Gilmore (joellegilmore@stmarksschool.org) with any questions.

Community & Equity Affairs

Unity Day

The C&E Office recognizes Unity Day, October 18, which brings attention to bullying in our schools and community. From pacer.org: 

Why Unity Day: Unity Day, started by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center as the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month, continues to grow every year as a tangible representation of the universal message that our society wants to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying.

Why Unity: For years, bullying was justified with expressions such as, “Bullying is a natural part of childhood,” “Bullying makes kids tougher,” or “Bullying is a rite of passage.” The goal of Unity Day is to bring together youth, parents, educators, businesses, and community members across the nation to emphasize the message that bullying is not acceptable and that all students deserve to be safe in school, online, and in the community.

St. Mark’s is committed to the fair and respectful treatment of all community members. Whether expressed in our mission or diversity statement, St. Mark’s values "cooperation over self-interest” while striving for “respect for all.”

Athletic Report

Head of the Charles 

For the first time since 2017, St. Mark's will have a boat in the historic Head of the Charles Regatta! St. Mark's will be racing on Sunday, October 22, in event #55. The race will begin at 10:43 a.m., and SM will be bow #87. If you will be there, Coach Doggett suggests watching the race from Elliot Street Bridge or Herter Park. Representing St. Mark's will be VI Formers Cathy Shi, Maisie Pierce, Emma Lu, Coco Xia and Erin Rasmussen!

Team of the Week: Varsity Field Hockey

Varsity field hockey went unblemished this past week with two ISL wins over St. George's and Nobles. SM handed Nobles their first loss of the season and controlled the majority of the game with Channing Brush '25 scoring the Lions' three goals. SM celebrated Family Weekend accordingly with a win over St. George's, where Jackie Wright '25 and the defense shut out the Dragons, while Jia Anand '24 and Addie Mims '25 tallied the goals. Go Lions!

Alumni News

Congratulations to SM Athletics Hall of Famer, Dani Rylan Kearney '05 as she joins the NHL's Edmonton Oilers! Kearney will serve as a pro scout within the organization's hockey operations office. She is no stranger to the front office, as she was the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) founder and commissioner from 2015-2021.

Congratulations to Brendon Gibbons '21 on being named the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) Rookie of the Week! Gibbons shined this past weekend for Air Force as he scored a goal in the team's upset win over #8 Michigan State. Gibbons followed-up the performance with a goal and an assist in a 3-5 loss to the Spartans.

Upcoming Events for Parents

Reminder: Parent Phonathon on November 1

Parents, please volunteer to make calls! Enjoy an evening together while helping the School provide the best possible St. Mark’s experience for all students. We will gather off-campus in Southborough for a light dinner and a chance to connect with other parents (all forms are welcome and encouraged to attend!). Sign up on the volunteer form or contact Associate Director of Engagement and the Annual Fund Alanna Barnes.

Around the Quad

Dino Ambrosi Discusses Artificial Intelligence and Its Implications

Today, October 19, St. Mark’s welcomed Dino Ambrosi, founder of Project Reboot, as the first speaker in this year’s Gray Colloquium series entitled  “AI and Its Implications: Shaping Our Future.” In the Putnam Family Arts Center’s Class of ’45 Hall, Ambrosi spoke to students about his own experience with technology as a student at UC Berkeley, how he developed a course there to help other students become more informed and intentional with their tech use, and how teenagers can build healthier tech habits. In addition to explaining how social media advertising and algorithms work with the goal of holding our attention (and are not optimizing with our best interests in mind), Ambrosi suggested we rethink what we consume. “Ask yourselves, what price am I really paying for this content?” Ambrosi said. “A content diet is just as important as a nutritional diet,” he added. Photo by Ella Carr '24

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Southborough, MA 01772

508.786.6000

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